Only Hope
by MightierThanSword17
Summary: Eli and Clare continue going strong in their relationship as Eli graduates high school and Clare still continues to stay by his side. Many surprises will come their way as the time goes on.
1. Chapter 1

**Only Hope**

**Hey everyone! This is my first time writing a fan-fic that's totally original and it isn't a one-shot. I'm planning on making more than one chapter. I need to get at least 5 reviews. If not, then I won't continue so please respond so I can continue! Well, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The graduation ceremony at Degrassi had just begun. As Mr. Simpson announced the soon-to-be high school graduates to the front to receive their diploma, a certain green-eyed guy with jet-black hair, a deadhand t-shirt under his graduation gown, and goes under the name Eli Goldsworthy was in his seat on stage with his hands vibrating on his lap.

Was it because he was soon to be graduating and leaving town to go to college in British Columbia? No-it was because of what he planned to announce in front of the school directly to his girlfriend. The bright blue-eyed girl with the vibrant flowered dress named Clare Edwards who was sitting in the audience, watching her boyfriend very proudly. They've been going strong for two years. Most couples in high-school stay and then they go. Not Eli and Clare. Their feelings for each other were too strong to let go of no matter how many fights they had in their course.

As Mr. Simpson called up Eli Goldsworthy to the stand to receive his diploma, Eli walked over and grabbed the microphone from Mr. Simpson.

"I'm sorry, sir. I know I'm not valedictorian or anything but there's something I just have to say and if I don't say it now, who knows how long it would take me to say it again.", pleads Eli.

"Um, ok. All yours but make it quick Eli. We still have many diplomas to give out.", says Mr. Simpson.

Clare looks at Eli in much confusion. She looks over her shoulder and gives her friend Adam a look in confusion. He gives the same look back.

"Ok…the way I see it, high-school is all about preparing you for what's coming to you once we head on into the real world and then the future comes calling. High-school prepared me for many things like getting my writing career going, opening up to people again, and especially meeting the girl who would change my life, my girlfriend Clare Edwards.", says Eli.

Clare blushes as she hears this.

"Clare, you told me once that I should have a plan for my life and to think things through. Well, I thought about this and this feel so right and I could only hope that you feel the same way. Clare Diana Edwards…will you marry me?", asks Eli.

Clare opens her eyes real wide in such shocked. She gets up from her seat and walks towards the stage as she says, "Eli…What about your future? I hope you're not doing this because you're going away to college and that we'll be apart for a year. We talked about this! My feelings for you will never change for you no matter how much distance will come between us."

"Clare, you are the one I want to spend my future with. That's why I'm asking. I can't imagine it any other way. I love you and I want you to be my wife.", says Eli.

"Eli, can you please continue this out by the hall-way? We still have about 40 more diplomas to go here," says Mr. Simpson in a hushed whisper.

"Almost done, sir.", says Eli

"I don't want to hold you back, Eli.", Clare says in a loud whisper

"Hold me back? Clare, you keep me moving forward everyday and that's what I love about you. Now Clare, I'm expecting an answer here in about 5 seconds otherwise I might just change my mind.", teases Eli.

Clare folds her arms and gives him an annoyed look.

"Five….four….three…two…." counts Eli

"Yes!", shouts Clare.

The whole school stares and "awes" at them.

"Eli, I love you and you're the only guy for me. You're it. I want to be your wife! I do!" shouts Clare, happily.

Clare runs up on stage and Eli with a wide grin picks up Clare, spins her around, and then their lips locked in such steamy passion.

"As touching as this is Mr. Goldsworthy, do us all a favor and just grab your diploma and sit back down…please!", says Mr. Simpson, nervously.

"Sorry, sir.", says Eli, embarrassed. Eli puts Clare down and Clare embarrassingly walks back to her seat.

The seniors of Degrassi grab their diplomas and make their way to their parents. Eli met up with his parents in the audience. Clare let them have a moment alone. She waited for Eli by the lockers but peeked through the door to took a look at them. Clare was always so envious of Eli and his relationship with his parents. Cece and Bullfrog were completely in love with each other as if they were teenagers themselves and they were always side by side. With Clare's parents divorced, she switched from one parent to the next. Her parents were rarely in the same room together and when they were, things were intense. Clare was lucky she had Eli as a boyfriend. One guy she could depend on and could continue to depend on for the rest of her life.

Eli and Clare meet Adam and Alli-Clare's friend- in the hall-way.

"Dude! You were right! She would say yes!", says Adam, excitedly.

Alli nudges Adam and gives him a warning look.

"What?", questions Adam.

"Oh! I see how it is. You just knew I would say yes, huh?", teases Clare

"Well, come on. Who could say no to this face?", Eli says as he points.

Clare lightly slaps Eli's arm.

"No I didn't know what you would say but I was _hoping_ you would say yes.", smirks Eli.

"Well, me and Eli are going to go celebrate. Do you guys want to come with us?", asks Clare.

"Nah it's ok. I have to go home. Sav's coming home from college with Holly J. Yeah, I'm still trying to get used to it. Emphasize on trying. Anyways, I can't believe you two are getting married!", says Alli.

Clare laughs and Eli smiles.

"And I have to finish packing. I'm going to New York to see Fiona.", says Adam

"Wow! It's nice to know you guys are still going strong.", says Clare.

"Well, it'll be good for me. One-cause I'll be with Fiona and two-so I'm not around when you gush over wedding plans. Later, future newly-weds", says Adam.

Eli and Clare made their way through the doors and entered Morty, driving off into the incoming traffic.

"So Eli Goldsworthy, how does it feel to be a high-school graduate?", mocks Clare, holding Eli's diploma as a microphone.

Eli gives a smile and laughs. "It feels epic! I'm free from high school, free from the constant following of my parents and their whole "He's growing up so fast" monologue…"

Clare laughs.

"And I'm free to start a new life with my girlfriend…or should I say wife?" says Eli.

"Wife. I like the sound of that. I have one condition though.", explains Clare.

"What?" asks a confused Eli.

"No wedding until at least after my first year of college. This will be a pre-engagement. We can focus on planning for the wedding closer to my graduation. Deal?", asks Clare.

"Well…It's too hard for me to say no to you when you look at me with those beautiful eyes.", says Eli.

Eli and Clare look at each other deeply until a loud horn is heard.

"ELI, RED LIGHT!", screams Clare.

BANG!

**

* * *

**

**Remember what I said. You want to know what happens to our favorite couple? I need to see at least 5 reviews of this chapter and then I will continue. Thank you. I hope you liked it so far.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I know I said I won't continue until I get 5 reviews but I managed to get three along with 5 people story alerting me and 3 people have favorited the story which is more than I expected so I will continue! Please review when you're done reading each chapter. The more people I find reading my story, the more I'll continue.**

* * *

Two Months Later

Car accidents are the scariest thing that anyone can endure. They're unexpected both in when they occur and what the outcome will be. Clare Edwards and Eli Goldsworthy were lucky that the outcome for their accident wasn't as unfortunate as they thought it would be. In Clare's bedroom, Eli and Clare both lied on the bed with Eli's arm around Clare with their fingers entwined.

"This sucks Clare. We weren't supposed to get into an accident and have that take up our summer. Two months, Clare, two months of our summer spent in physical therapy!" shouted Eli, who was wearing a cast on his leg, sporting a black eye, and his right hand wrapped up in a sling. "What's worse is that I can't even feel my hand anymore. My right hand-my writing hand! After all of the physical therapy and operations and it's still useless. The doctors said there isn't a even a good chance I'll get the feeling back."

"Eli, calm down." said Clare, rubbing Eli's arm with her fingers. She gives Eli a little kiss on his black eye. "We only have one more month until you go away and I start school. Let's not spend the rest of the time we have together reminiscing on this accident."

"I know what you're saying is right Clare but still. Writing was my thing. It's what kept me in control. My therapist even told me to write down everything I throw out in my room so it won't feel like I'm completely getting rid of anything. Now I can't even do that," said Eli in an angry tone as he takes him arm off of Clare. Eli gets up from the bed and grabs his crutch standing by the drawer. When Eli stands the crutch on the floor as he tries to get up, the crutch slips on the floor, causing Eli to crash down.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Eli," says Clare as she helps Eli up. "Remember, what the doctor said. Don't overdo it."

"Thanks," says Eli.

Clare helps Eli back on the bed as they sit down.

"And don't worry about your hand. You could still write. You can still type on the computer with one hand and I even saw this program when I was shopping at Best Buy where you speak into a microphone and the program will type the words themselves. I even saw this one ad in the newspaper about these classes that they teach about learning how to write for those who can't use their dominant hand anymore," explains Clare.

"Wow, you've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?" asks Eli, in disbelief.

"Hey, I had a lot of time on my hands while you were going through your operations and physio exercises," laughs Clare. "You think while you were trapped in the hospital I was supposed to just stay home and knit? No. All I got out of that accident was broken wrists. It must have happened when I blocked my face when the glass went flying everywhere."

"I'm sorry Clare. I was so caught up with my injuries that I didn't even consider that you were in the accident with me," apologized Eli, smoothly touching the wrapped bandages on Clare's wrists.

Clare holds Eli's hands.

"Well, it's nothing a kiss can't cure."

Eli smirked and then kissed Clare passionately. Only this time, Clare rapidly moved her lips on his and didn't stop. She pushed him down with his back lying on the bed and her hands moving through his hair. Eli pulls back.

"Whoa, Clare. Not that this isn't turning me on or anything because trust me…it's working," says Eli with Clare laughing. "But I thought we agreed to wait."

"And we are but we can work up to it, right?" asks Clare.

"Why yes...yes we can." says Eli with a devilish smirk on his face.

Clare takes off Eli's shirt while Eli takes off Clare's shirt, revealing her bra. Clare made sure not to be so rough with Eli's hand broken. Eli and Clare kissed each other so passionately, taking in every moment. Eli kissed Clare's neck, grabbing onto her chest while Clare breathed deeply and closed her eyes.

"You know what I can't wait for now, Clare?" questioned Eli.

"What?" asks Clare.

"Our honeymoon," says Eli. Clare blushes and smiles as they continue kissing. Just then, Eli and Clare stopped as the door opened and they both looked in shock and embarrassment at an alarmed Mr. Edwards.


	3. Chapter 3

"Dad! I can explain," said Clare as she held Eli's arm.

"No Clare, let me," interrupted Eli. "Mr. Edwards, me and Clare didn't do anything. We were just kissing. That's all."

"You had your shirt off and I'm sure it was more than just kissing! This behavior is sinful and I'm not going to put up with it any longer!" shouted Mr. Edwards with his hand touching his forehead in aggravation.

"I should go," said Eli as he took Clare's hand off of his arm gently, got off the bed and grabbed his crutch, towards Mr. Edwards. "But Mr. Edwards, I love your daughter and I respect her too much to take advantage of her. Please believe me."

Mr. Edwards didn't even look at Eli. Eli looked down in shame and walked out of the room and then out of the house. Mr. Edwards had his arms crossed as he looked at Clare in unrecognition of his own daughter.

"Dad, it wasn't Eli's fault. I came on to him. Eli knows that I don't plan on having sex until marriage. We were just fooling around. That's it. If Eli were any other guy, I wouldn't have done what you caught me doing. That's what I love about Eli so much. Even though he doesn't have beliefs of his own, he knows how important _my_ beliefs are and how I'm willing to stick with them," explained Clare.

"This boy changed you. This boy affected your mind. I don't want this boy over here again. Is that clear?" said Mr. Edwards, very sternly.

"Yes, sir," said Clare.

Mr. Edwards left the room.

Clare walked into The Dot and saw Adam sitting at a table by himself listening to his ipod, drinking a cappaccino. Clare went up and sat in the empty seat across from him.

"Hey, Adam! How was New York? It's been awhile since we talked. I missed you," said Clare, happily.

"I've been back in town for about two weeks already. You could have picked up the phone too. You could have come over to talk. I can't do all of the work here. You have to make an effort in our friendship too. I've tried calling your cell but your phone was either on silent or you didn't pick up," said Adam, frustrated.

"I'm sorry Adam," apologized Clare. "It's just that I've been hanging out with Eli a lot lately. We wanted to spend as much time as we could since he'll be going away in the fall and it's worse enough that we spent most of our vacation in the hospital. I mean, you heard about the accident me and Eli were in, right?"

"Yeah. I heard about that. I'm glad you guys are ok," said Adam.

"Yeah. We're lucky. Today's Thursday. Don't you and Eli have your guys night tonight?" asked Clare.

"Eli can't make it. He called and said that he just wanted to relax on his own tonight. He seemed very down," said Adam, curiously.

"I know why. In my bedroom, me and Eli…" said Clare, nervously.

"Holy…you and Eli actually..." guessed Adam with his eyes wide open in shock.

"No, no, no. We didn't…do that," interrupted Clare. "But we did do some other stuff and we had an audience-my dad. He pretty much scared Eli out of the house."

"Wow. Well, like I said, there's never a dull moment between you love-birds," Adam said.

"I guess you can say that. Our relationship is never boring," said Clare.

Adam picked up a book that was laying on his lap and held it up for Clare to see.

"Have you ever read this before? It was on the summer reading for where we choose what short story to read," asked Adam.

"_An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge_? No, I've never read it before but I heard it's supposed to be a classic. What's it about?" asked Clare, curiously.

"Well, a man was wrongly accused of a crime so he's about to be hanged off a bridge by the authorities. When that happens, the rope breaks and it's like he gets super-human powers where he is able to get the noose off his neck and he swam so fast across the bridge. In his mind, he kept thinking about being with his wife and children so he went on a long journey to go back home to them. Then he's finally there but he feels a sting in his neck and then suddenly realizes that he never made it to his family. He imagined all of it. He was really a few seconds away from death and then he was finally hanged. The character wasn't thinking about death but only desires," Adam explained.

"Wow. That's quite a story, Adam. I always loved stories like that when there's a twist. Mine is nothing interesting. I chose _EPICAC_. It's just about a super computer who was made to create love letters for his master to give to the woman he loves but the computer starts to fall in love with the woman his master's in love with. The computer realises that he can't be with the woman he loves so he winds up killing himself. It's depressing I know but robots have always interested me. What can I say? I like my sci-fi fantasies," said Clare.

"Clare, I don't care what book you discuss with me as long as it's not about sparkly vampires," said Adam, jokingly.

"Ha-ha. Very funny," said Clare, sarcastically. "Hey, you didn't answer my question before. How was New York?"

"Things were very good. I missed Fiona a lot and I like the time we spend together. The thing is that she lives in New York now and I'm here. She expects that when I graduate next summer that I join her in NYU but I want to go to a college here in town. My whole life is here. I don't know what going to happen between us," confessed Adam, worryingly.

"Adam, when it comes to relationships. You need to be confident. As long as you two love each other, you'll both find a way to make it work where you can both be with each other. I mean, look at me and Eli. We've gone through many emotional roller coasters and we still managed to make it through. If we can get through our problems, you can get through yours too."

"Yeah. I guess you're right," said Adam, in a half smile.

"Well, I gotta go. It was nice talking to you, Adam. I promise the next time you call me, I'll pick up," promised Clare.

"Sure. Thanks," said Adam with a reassuring smile.

Clare made her way out but then she stopped and turned around to Adam as something crossed her mind.

"Hey Adam? Have you told Eli about that story? It's dark and twisted-right up his alley," asked Clare, laughing.

"It's funny you mention that. Eli recommended the book to me," answered Adam.

"Hmm…I figured. Well, bye!" said Clare as she walked out of The Dot.

Adam watched as Clare walked away and sighed to himself.

* * *

**I hope no one was bored with this chapter. I really wanted to add the friendship bond between Adam and Clare. It will be important to the story. Each chapter will get more and more interesting so read and review. The more reviews, the more I'll know who's reading. Thank you! **


	4. Chapter 4

Clare went to the abandoned church that her and Eli had their dates in. That place was special to them and they both felt like they belonged there for many reasons. One was that the place was different so people shyed away from it. Eli and Clare were both different to other kids for different reasons where they felt like other students wouldn't be able to relate to them. Sometimes even their friends like Adam and Alli could understand what they're going through. In times of struggle, that church was always standing there for them. Also, they found the abandoned church by accident like how they both found each other by accident when Eli ran over Clare's old glasses. They both felt like the church lured them in.

As Clare waited there in the hammock, hoping that Eli would show up, Clare's phone vibrated and the caller ID said it was her mother. Clare had a feeling her dad told her mom about the bedroom incident so she really didn't want to answer her phone. Unfortunately, Clare's conscience works full-time. Clare opened her phone and held it to her ear.

"Hey mom. What's going on?" asked Clare, annoyed.

"Hi, honey. I just called to see how you were doing. We haven't spoken since I visited you in the hospital," said Mrs. Edwards.

"Things are going fine. I can't complain," said Clare, knowing where this was going.

"Listen, your father's worried about you and frankly, so am I. He told me about what he saw in your bedroom. Clare, this behavior is scaring us," said Mrs. Edwards, worriedly.

"Mom, what happened with Eli was nothing. You know dad. He has a way of getting stressed over the stupidest things. Me and Eli didn't do anything. I'm allowed to show my affection for him. It's kinda required in the girlfriend job description, you know." explained Clare.

"Ok, ok. I didn't call you to lecture you. I called to tell you that I'm going to come over for dinner and this time, your father will be joining us. Bring Eli with you. We both want to get to know him again," said Mrs. Edwards.

This news shocked Clare. Why would both parents want to be in the same room again and why were they so eager to have Eli over after what they witnessed between them? But Clare wasn't going to pass that since all she wanted was for her parents' hatred towards Eli to end.

"Ok. That sounds great mom. This will mean a lot to him. Thank you," said Clare, happily.

"Ok. I'll go call your father and tell him now. Bye, honey!" said Mrs. Edwards as she hung up.

Clare closed her phone. The hammock always made her tired so she slowly closed her eyes. Then she felt two hands cover her eyes and she held them by impulse.

"Guess who?"

"Hmm…" teased Clare, as a smile went on her face when she recognized the voice. "Who else do I know with a skull ring? Is it…Fitz?"

Clare took his hands off and revealed Eli.

"Ouch lady!" said Eli, mockingly hurt as he put his hand gently to his chest. Clare laughs.

"Scoot over," said Eli as he climbed in the hammock very slowly with Clare helping him in, placing his crutch by the tree. Clare laid her head on Eli's chest with Eli's arm snuggling her.

"Eli, I am really sorry about what happened in my house. I swear, I thought my dad was out of the house," apologized Clare.

"Don't worry about it. I just felt embarrassed. I'm already on your parents' hate list. I just gave them another excuse to hate me," said Eli, with a glum look.

"I was actually just on the phone with my mom just now. She and my dad want to invite you to dinner tonight. They want to go to know you again," said Clare, excitedly.

"Really? That's great but after what happened the last time, I would feel weird showing my face, my hearse, and my religious views anywhere near your house. Kind of thanks to you," explained Eli with a hint of anger in his voice.

Clare knew what Eli meant after she embarrassed him in "take one" where Clare was creating an excuse for her parents to be mad at her in order for them to have something in common to avoid their divorce. It didn't turn out well as Clare told her parents all of the things she knew they would hate about him, unknowingly hurting Eli in the process as he felt like an ugly duckling in a family of swans. Clare gave a guilty sigh.

"Eli, I promise this time, I will keep my mouth shut. This time, I'll actually let you do the talking. But...if I do happen to talk about you to them, it'll be only the good things I love about you. Deal?" negotiated Clare.

Eli gave a mock thinking look. Clare shot a questioning stare as she looked up at him. Eli's facial expression quickly turned into a smiling nod. Clare smiled at him as he kissed the top of her head.

* * *

**So, another family dinner with Eli. What will happen? Awkwardness? Drama? All of the above? You'll find out soon. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Clare opened the door for Eli. He smiled bashfully, still nervous what the outcome of this dinner would be. He came in and gave Clare a short peck on the lips. Clare led Eli to the dinner table where Mr. and Mrs. Edwards were already sitting down.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Edwards. It's nice to see you both again," greeted Eli to Clare's parents.

Mr. Edwards had his hand on his forehead as if he was coming down with a migraine and Mrs. Edwards gave an awkward smile. Eli sat himself down next to Clare. Everyone helped themselves to roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and a bowl of vegetables. Once again, silence filled the room. Clare kept her promise. She was to let Eli do the talking this time but at the same time, the silence was killing her. She wished that she would just come out and start talking non-stop about Eli and all of the days they spent together but she didn't want the night to feel as uncomfortable as it already was. Finally, Mrs. Edwards broke the silence.

"So Eli…" Mrs. Edwards started off.

"Helen…" groaned Mr. Edwards as he glared at her. Clare looked at her father in confusion. Mrs. Edwards didn't even speak yet and already Mr. Edwards wasn't pleased with what she was about to say, looking for problems.

"Clare tells me you'll be going to BCU. What are your plans once you're there?" asked Mrs. Edwards, again in awkwardness.

"Well…" said Eli as his face brightened up that Clare's parents noticed him. "I hope to major in English so I can be a writer or even a publisher. In fact, being a publisher didn't even cross my mind until English class last year when I was looking over Clare's papers. Makes me want to read the workings of gifted future writers like your daughter. If I had to look over anyone's stories last year, I was lucky it was Clare's."

Clare blushed as Eli mentioned this. "So am I" said Clare, with her eyes smiling at Eli.

She remembered their days at The Dot as they constantly critiqued their papers and styles of writing. The tone of Clare's writing was very romanticized and bright while Eli's was very dark and almost satire-like. Since their writing styles were very different, they wouldn't always agree whenever they worked together. Whenever they disagreed with the corrections they put on their papers, they would flick fries at each other and just laugh it off. Whenever they evaluated each other, it was never because their writing was horrible. It would be just to give each other a push for improvement.

"And I know what you're probably thinking. 'How could I be a writer with one hand?' Well, your daughter inspires me every day to keep going after what I want no matter what stands in the way. That's what I love the most about her," Eli continued.

Clare smiled at Eli and held his hand.

"Ok, that is it! I've had it!" shouted Mr. Edwards unexpectedly as quickly stood up from his chair, with Clare and Eli looking at him in a slight panic.

"Randall, you promised me you would control yourself! Remember what I told you!" said Mrs. Edwards in a very firm tone towards her ex-husband.

"Helen, how you can tolerate this I will never understand. I refuse to just sit back and act like this whole situation is fine. You need to talk to your daughter and explain to her why this is wrong," said Mr. Edwards.

Eli looked down in annoyance and disappointment over Mr. Edwards's behavior. He didn't understand what he did wrong. All he did was discuss what his dreams were and even spoke highly of his own daughter. What could Eli say that would make Mr. Edwards happy that he's in Clare's life? Clare witnessed the look in Eli's face and felt ashamed that was her father who ruined what could have been a nice dinner for everyone.

"What's wrong, dad? That Eli's in my life?" asked Clare in confusion.

"Yes! Exactly that!" yelled Mr. Edwards.

"Dad, Eli is the best thing that every happened to me. Ok, I'm sorry that you had to see what happened in my bedroom before but I'm not sorry I did it. While you and mom were practically screaming at each other for months and months, Eli took away the pain I felt listening to you two. I'm sorry dad, but Eli's not going anywhere," said Clare, very confidently.

Eli felt hurt of Clare's father's view of him but at the same time, he looked over at Clare, happy that she defended her feelings for him. He could just tell that she came a long way from letting her parents take control over her life to making up her own mind about what she wants. Mrs. Edwards wanted to speak but knew her voice would be overshadowed by her ex-husband and it would be a lost battle.

"Clare, I know we put you through a rough time when me and your mother's marriage was falling apart but Eli is not what you need to have a happier life. There are others out there that you could be with," Mr. Edwards calmly explained.

"Clare, honey, for once in your life, I agree with your father," said Mrs. Edwards as Clare looked at her mother shocked and betrayed. "One of these days, you will meet the man you're meant to be with."

Eli wished he could just walk away from the table right now. They were making him feel so worthless and he didn't deserve any of that.

"Stop it! Just stop it right now! Eli _is_ the one I'm meant to be with. Just because you and dad's marriage ended doesn't mean Eli and I will. And would you both stop talking about him like he's not even in the room? Why did you even invite Eli over? For an interrogation? He doesn't deserve this at all!" shouted Clare in such a fury that she didn't know was in her.

"Clare, don't worry about it," assured Eli calmly as he held her arm.

"No, Eli. It's not right at all."

Mr. Edwards pushed his chair back against the table so forcefully and left the room abruptly. Mrs. Edwards looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Clare, tell Eli to leave and I think you should leave the table now," said Mrs. Edwards.

"I have a better idea mom-how about we both leave the house? Let's go, Eli," said Clare as she left the table and handed Eli his crutch. Eli followed Clare out of the house with Mrs. Edwards shouting for Clare to come back. Then Clare and Eli walked to the bench where they first skipped class.

"Eli, I am so ashamed by how my parents were acting. I couldn't believe they put you-_us_-through that. And I know I said I would keep my mouth shut but I couldn't help it. I could let them talk to you that way. Especially my father_,_" apologized Clare.

"Clare, you didn't do anything. You weren't the one that slandered me. I don't understand. I didn't do anything wrong either. Why do your parents hate me so much?" asked Eli in high frustration as he put his head down and combed his fingers through his hair with his left hand.

"They're just stubborn. It's sad. I used to trust my parents choices and I believed in what they believed in. But now, it's like they closed all of the ties they had to what they used to believe in and it's like now I don't know what I believe anymore," said Clare.

Eli held Clare in his arms so gently as he laid his chin on her shoulder. When they broke free, he saw that tears were beginning to form in Clare's eyes. He hated to see those beautiful blue eyes ruined with her tears. Eli caressed his broken hand on her cheek.

"Believe in me-in what we have," reminded Eli, wiping away her tears.

"I already do. So much," said Clare, reassuring Eli.

Eli stood up from the bench with his arms crossed. He stood in deep thought and recapped what just happened a few minutes ago. Then after a few minutes, his eyes widened as a thought crept into his head. He took Clare's hand and pulled Clare towards him.

"Clare, I know exactly what we have to do in order to make things better for both us and for your parents in the future," said Eli, seriously.

"What is it?" Clare asked, curiously.

"Let's get married…right now."


	6. Chapter 6

"Eli…I can't get married right now!" said Clare in a panic. "It's way too soon. I just can't."

"Why can't you, Clare? Because your parents won't let you? Is that it?" asked Eli.

"No, it has nothing to do with them Eli. It has to do with that…you already graduated so you're an adult and you're free. _I_ still have a whole other year before I graduate. You can do whatever you want. I'm still a teenager. I can't be a wife and a high school senior at the same time!" shouted Clare as she turns around. Eli grabs her elbow and turns her back to face him.

"Clare, this will work. It has to be this way because your parents will never accept me into your family no matter how good my behavior will be and no matter how good I treat you," said Eli.

"You don't know that," said Clare, trying to make Eli better but knowing he's right.

"I do though. Clare, trust me. I would love it if we had a wedding where we would invite all of our friends, my parents, and your parents along with watching you walk slowly down the aisle towards me in a beautiful white dress as we say our "I Dos" and having Adam make the toast to wish us the good life, the Dead Hand playing at our wedding…" joked Eli.

"Uh, I don't think so!" laughed Clare.

Eli holds Clare's hands.

"But that's never going to happen. That's why we need to leave; just the two of us, to the closest wedding chapel there is and get married to show your parents that we are serious about being a married couple and that this is really going to happen for us," explained Eli slowly.

"But still, I can't be a wife to you and still be in high school," said Clare.

"Clare, what does marriage mean to you?" asked Eli as he held Clare's face in his hands. Clare tries to turn away but Eli gently turned Clare's face back to him. "Yes, Clare. I'm asking you. I've already told you how I feel about you and my reasons for wanting to marry you. What are yours?"

"Well…" started Clare as there was so much she wanted to express about her feelings for the man she loved but it was hard for her to find the right words and not sounding completely corny. "I love you because whenever something horrible came into my life that made me break apart; you stood by me and put me back together everytime. You never gave up on me no matter how many times I made things unbearable. I need you with me because you bring out these qualities of me that I never even knew I had. Eli Goldsworthy, you're the only man I want to spend my life with. That's what marriage means to me."

"Wow. And Ms. Dawes called me the wordy one?" said Eli, sarcastically. Clare playfully hit Eli's arm and Eli smiled. "So see, Clare? It doesn't matter that you'll be in high school. What matters is we love each other."

Clare nods.

"We're doing this, Eli. We're really going to do this," declared Clare.

Eli and Clare sealed their deal with a passionate kiss. Then they walked away from the bench and headed towards Eli's house. Eli opened the door with his key and walked in.

"Mom? Dad?" wandered Eli as he looked throughout the house with Clare. "That's weird. They're not home. Probably hanging out at the radio station. They do that sometimes. So, we're alone…"

Clare nodded and smiled. Eli held Clare's hand and pulled her into his newly clean room. Eli made a vow to Clare that he would have his room relieved of junk before he graduated and he kept his promise. No lock on his door and all.

"Eli, your room looks amazing," said Clare. "You know we can…take it back to where we left off at my house. This time, I don't think we'll get caught."

Eli gently left his crutch by the nightstand by his bed and they both sat down on the bed. Then Eli and Clare's lips crashed unto each other with Clare's fingers combing Eli's hands and Eli fiercely touching Clare's back with his left hand. Then Eli and Clare fell down with their backs on the bed. Eli took off Clare's shirt and Clare took off Eli's. An hour later, Eli and Clare were both breathing heavily.

"Clare, you have no idea how hard it is for me to control myself around you," said Eli, in honesty. Clare laughs.

"Well, now you know how Edward felt towards Bella," said Clare, smiling.

"Clare, you did not just throw a Twilight reference at me," said Eli.

Clare gave Eli a guilty smile. Eli rolled Clare over where he was holding her down. "Only makes me more excited for when our wedding is over."

"I knew it!" shouted Clare, mockingly. "You just want us to get married quickly so we can sex, isn't it?"

"Guilty," joked Eli as he smirked. Eli passionately kissed Clare's lips.

Eli and Clare fell asleep next to each other with Clare in Eli's arms. That's how you know a guy is respectful towards you-when he is able to hold a girl in his arms and not try anything. Because he knows that it's better knowing that the girl he loves is in the safety of his arms than for her to be away from him.

When Eli and Clare woke up, they had a quick breakfast and left the house, locking the door. They took a bus to go to the Two Hearts Wedding Chapel. It would take about an hour and a half to get there. Clare rested her head on Eli's shoulder as the bus started.

"Eli?" asked Clare.

"Yes?" responded Eli.

"Thanks for running over my glasses two years ago," said Clare. Eli smirked.

"Anytime. Clare?" asked Eli.

"Yes?" asked Clare.

"Thank you for being here with me right now," responded Eli.

"Anytime," Clare smiled.

"I promise you Clare. I will be a good husband to you. I swear," said Eli.

"Eli, I wouldn't expect anything less," said Clare.

Eli and Clare both smiled as Eli remembered where Clare heard those words from. They both were about to fall asleep when Clare's phone vibrated. Clare opened her cell phone.

"Hello?" asked Clare.

"Clare, it's Adam. Where are you?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi! Sorry it took so long to update. I'm warning you, this following chapter will be quite a shock. Thank you guys so much for all of your feedback and for tuning in on this story. Enjoy and review please!**

* * *

"Adam, everything is fine," said Clare, reassuring Adam. "I'm with Eli but that's all I can say right now."

Clare wanted to tell Adam where she and Eli were going to go and what they were going to do but she didn't want to risk it for Adam could possibly tell her parents that they were going to get eloped. She figured that Adam and everyone else that she knew would understand why they couldn't be witnesses to this marriage. Clare continued talking on her cell phone to Adam while Eli tried to lean in a bit closer to hear what he was saying. Clare looked at Eli.

"Don't tell him where we're going," warned Eli. Clare nodded.

"Ok, why so secretive?" asked Adam.

"Things aren't good between me and my parents right now so Eli cheered me up by asking me to go on a drive with him. That's all," lied Clare.

"Ok, well I need you to come home. It's an emergency and I could use a friend right now," said Adam, desperately. Clare looked worried so she leaned her phone directly to her ear.

"Why? What happened?" asked Clare.

"It's Fiona," started Adam. "She made a surprise visit to see me and she's at my house right now. She keeps trying to convince me to apply to her college in New York and I really don't know what to do here. So I figured if you and Eli come, then she would change the subject and be more focused on catching up with you two and it would change the subject."

Clare didn't know what to do. She wanted to help her friend but this could be her and Eli's only chance to get eloped. It could be a huge risk going to Adam's house.

"Can't we come over another time?" whined Clare.

"No because Fiona's going home tomorrow so I need you here now," said Adam, urgently.

"Ok," sighed Clare as she closed her eyes. "It might take about half an hour because of where we are right now but we'll be there as soon as possible."

Clare hung up the phone and pulled the rope on the bus for it to stop.

"Clare, what are you doing? Why do we need to stop?" asked Eli.

"Because Adam needs us. Fiona surprised him by showing up at his house and he needs backup," explained Clare as she got up. Eli gave an annoyed sigh.

"Eli, come on. He needs us. We'll continue this after. We'll just be at Adam's house for 15 minutes," said Clare as she took Eli's hand to pull him up. "Then after we'll get the next bus and continue on our journey to start our new life together."

Eli gave a defeated sigh and nodded his head, knowing that Clare was right but at the same time disappointed they still needed to wait. Clare and Eli continued to make their way to the door. Eli and Clare took another bus to go home. Twenty minutes later, they appeared at Adam's house and he opened the door to let them in. To both of their surprise, they saw Alli there.

"Alli, hey. What are you doing here?" asked Clare nervously.

"Clare, there are two people here who really need to talk to you," said Alli.

Through the kitchen door appeared Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.

Eli and Clare couldn't believe their eyes and realized what had happened- they were set up. There was no sign of Fiona. Adam tried to make things right between Clare and her parents. The young couple were about to make their way to the front door.

"Young lady, stay where you are and hear us out!" shouted Mr. Edwards.

Eli and Clare stopped and turned to look at Adam and Alli in such serious betrayal. Clare's eyes were boiling hot.

"Adam, how could you do this to us? How could you invite them here?" asked Clare in a furious rage.

"Yeah, seriously dude. What the hell?" shouted Eli.

"Et tu, Alli? You were in on this?" asked Clare.

Alli didn't say anything. She stepped back to let Mr. and Mrs. Edwards step forward to Eli and Clare.

"Clare, there's something that me and your father should have told you from the start but we were afraid of what would happened," said Mrs. Edwards as she tried to hold Clare's hand. Clare moved her hand away hastily.

"Well, I don't want to hear it, Mom," started Clare as she held Eli's hand. "Eli and I are tired of the way you two have been treating us. It isn't fair. We're going to leave so we can start our new lives together…we're getting married!" burst out Clare. Eli's eyes opened wide along with everyone else's in the room. Everyone was as frozen as statues.

"You're doing what now?" angrily asked Mrs. Edwards.

"Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, it was my idea. Don't blame Clare. We just felt that this was the right thing to do and we were going to tell you two-everybody-when we got back," explained Eli.

"Clare, you have to understand that a future between the two of you…it just…it isn't possible," said Mr. Edwards, calmly as he took two more steps forward towards them.

"Oh really, Dad? Enlighten us! Why is it so wrong for me and Eli to be together?" asked Clare in an uncontrollable fury.

"BECAUSE ELI IS DEAD!"


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry it took me so long to update. I promise that I won't take so long whenever I update a new chapter. I know it's not fair to my readers. I know I confused many, many readers in the last chapter. I will consider that a good thing since that's the reaction I wanted from you. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I promise that as you read this chapter, you will be blown away and your confusion will be eased! And remember to review as soon as you're done so I can get your thoughts.**

* * *

"BECAUSE ELI IS DEAD!" shouted Mr. Edwards.

Clare looked at her father in disbelief and scoffed to herself.

Clare heard Eli say from behind her "Don't believe him, Clare. He's lying! He's just trying to break us up like he's been trying to from the start."

"Ok dad, you have truly lost it! How can you say that Eli is dead? He's right here!" said Clare as she held up Eli's hand as he was holding hers. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards were walking slowly and carefully towards Clare.

"Clare, listen to us. You and Eli were in that car accident two months ago. Remember? You made it out with just a bump on the head and a few bruises but Eli died on impact. The other car hit his side of the car," explained Mr. Edwards.

Suddenly Clare was getting memory images of the car accident although everything was much clearer and louder. She remembered the red light getting closer and closer and another car hitting them, causing the hearse to get abruptly pushed on the other side of the street and flipped where the right side of the car ended up flat on the ground and Eli's side not touching the ground. Shards of glass flying everywhere.

"No. No, no, no! You're wrong about that! We both survived that night. I don't know how but we did," rationalized Clare. Clare's parents both shook their head with tears starting to form in Mrs. Edwards's eyes.

"Mom, dad look! He's right here! He's right h-" said Clare as she looked at the hand that was holding Eli's. But then when Clare actually looked at her hand with her own eyes, she realized-there was nobody holding her hand. She wasn't holding anything but the thin air. Clare looked frantically around the room. She ran into the kitchen-no Eli. She ran upstairs and called out his name-no answer.

"Where is he? Where did he go? Tell me!" screamed Clare.

"You were taken to the hospital. The airbag saved you from getting a serious head injury and falling into a coma. I, your mother, and the doctor tried to tell you so many times that Eli didn't make it but you just refused to believe it. You wouldn't listen to us. Then your case became even more serious when you tried to slit your wrists with the nail file in your purse," explained Mr. Edwards.

Clare looked in disbelief while listening to her father's story. She took the bandages off of her wrists and saw scars of the slashes that drew across her wrists. They looked somewhat faded but very noticeable. This made Clare even more confused since she had no memory of anything her father was talking about. It's like he was telling the story of another girl- a stranger.

"Then they moved you into a special part of the hospital for patients dealing with grief. Doctors and psychologists would visit you for the past two months but nothing worked," explained Mrs. Edwards as she held Clare's hands. "Your father and I were worried that you would never be able to leave that hospital. But then suddenly when I came to visit you, I saw you looking up into space and you had a slight smile on your face. You said that you were speaking to Eli and that he came to visit you. That he was done with his surgery. Then the doctor came up to me and said you developed something called selective amnesia which is where your mind is in such shock over a sudden and painful memory that it just blocks it out as if it never happened. You were able to imagine Eli by your side-talking to you, touching you. It was as if you were speaking to him and feeling him like he was alive but there was no one in the room but me and the doctor."

Clare couldn't possibly comprehend this. She imagined a boyfriend for the past two months? Was that what her parents were telling her? This couldn't possibly be true. These things just don't happen. Eli felt more real to her than anyone else in her life that she knew. She knew the truth. Eli was alive…wasn't he?

"The doctor decided to release you because you weren't doing hurting yourself anymore and he thought you were in the process of healing. He thought that you would eventually through time understand that the Eli that you've been with for the past two months has been in your head. Your mother and the doctor thought it would be best to do along with this," continued Mr. Edwards. "But _I_ didn't. You needed to face reality whether you were ready or not."

Clare knew she was wasting her time listen to her parents ramble about someone they thought was their daughter. This girl they were talking about was nothing like Clare. Clare always knew how to separate reality from fiction. She was a writer after all. That used to be the easiest thing for her.

"Adam, please tell my parents they're wrong. They're just saying this stuff because they don't want me and Eli together, of course. Tell them they're wrong," pleaded Clare.

Adam looked away trying to hide that his eyes were getting teary. "I can't, Clare."

"Alli? Come on, they're wrong. Tell them that!" begged Clare.

Alli was crying so hard. Her mascara-filled tears were running down her face. Her eyes showed such sadness for her friend-because she couldn't possibly imagine the situation Clare was in and how she wasn't there for Clare as much as she should have.

"Ok, fine. You don't believe me? Then I'll go find Eli myself. You all scared him away…that's what happened…you scared him away. I'm going to find him…and tell him everything will be ok," frantically worried Clare.

Mr. Edwards grabbed Clare's arm. "No Clare, you're not going anywhere until we can get this through to you."

Clare roughly took her father's hand off of her arm and looked at him with anger boiling in her eyes as tears were about to fall down.

"You take your hands off of me. I don't know who any of you are anymore to spread such unbelievable lies about what happened two months ago. The only reason you don't want me and Eli to work, dad, is because you and mom couldn't make your marriage work so you're making up this ridiculous story to convince me of Eli being a 'figment of my imagination.' I'm going to find Eli and then you'll all be sorry," vowed Clare.

Clare left the house as she heard her parents, Adam, and Alli calling out for her. She blocked all of them out. Clare ran towards Eli's house and knocked frenetically on the door.

"Hello? Eli, are you there? It's me Clare! Open up!" shouted Clare. No answer came and the door never opened. Clare ran towards The Dot where she could imagine Eli drinking a cup of coffee and sitting at a table for two, hoping for Clare to join him and discuss what just happened at her house. When Clare walked in, there was no sign of Eli. She rushed towards Peter who was wiping the main serving table clean.

"Hey, Clare. What'll it be?" asked Peter.

"Peter, did Eli come through here?" asked Clare in a rush. Peter had an awkward and confused look on his face.

"Um, Clare…I thought you knew about Eli?" asked Peter. Clare let out a frustrated groan.

"What is wrong with everybody today?" shouted Clare where she caught the stares of all of the customers. Clare ran out to go to the only place Eli could possibly be.

"Clare, wait! I'm sorry!" shouted Peter.

Clare ran as fast as she could to the one place where she felt safe and where Eli would be. She went to their place-the abandoned church. She looked all around-behind the statues, the broken fossilized walls, the piles of wood, and where the hammock was. No Eli. Clare was in such confusion.

"Eli? Eli, where are you? I have to talk to you. I'm sorry about what happened back there. I don't know why everyone was acting so crazy back there. Eli? Please answer me!" called out Clare.

Then suddenly, piece by piece, pictures were swimming in her mind. Pictures not familiar to her but were just starting to. She heard the voice of Adam in her head.

"_Have you ever read this before?" _

"_An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge? What's it about?" curiously asked Clare._

"_Well, a man was wrongly accused of a crime so he's about to be hanged off a bridge by the authorities. When that happens, the rope breaks…He imagined all of it. He was really a few seconds away from death and then he was finally hanged. The character wasn't thinking about death but only desires," explained Adam. _

_"You had your shirt off and I'm sure it was more than just kissing! This behavior is sinful and I'm not going to put up with it any longer!"_

_Clare was lying on the bed with her body turned to the right. She slightly smiled. Then she sat up and took her own shirt off. A smile grew brighter on her face. Mr. Edwards walked in. __Mr. Edwards had his arms crossed as he looked at Clare in unrecognizing of his own daughter and looked down._

_Images of Clare covering her own eyes when "Eli" creeped up on her back at the church. Clare swinging on the hammock by herself staring off into space._

_"Helen, how you can tolerate this I will never understand. I refuse to just sit back and act like this whole situation is fine. You need to talk to your daughter and explain to her why this is wrong,"_

_Clare was looking at the seat next to her, holding her hand out towards that seat as if it was being held. _

_"Clare tells me you'll be going to BCU. What are your plans once you're there?" asked Mrs. Edwards as she was talking to the empty seat at the table._

_Images of Clare getting the spare key under the welcome mat of next to Eli's doorstep and Clare sleeping on Eli's bed. Clare sitting on the bus to the wedding chapel alone. _

_"Eli, red light!"_

_Clare looking at Eli driving his hearse on the afternoon of his graduation. Eli drove towards the red light and another car was heading towards Eli's side of the car with the horn screeching loudly as the headlights of the other car surrounded Eli as it kept driving nearer and nearer towards them._

Clare turned her face away as she was reliving this memory, covering her face. Clare suddenly looked up in realization and broke down with a flood of tears running down from her eyes to below her cheeks. Clare covered her mouth with her hands and she felt like she was falling apart. She knew-Eli died that day. Clare collapsed on her hands and knees planted towards the ground.

"Eli, no. No! You can't be. It's not possible. We…we were supposed to have a future together. Just... just us!" cried Clare in such pain. Clare cried loudly and hard where she felt like she could hardly breathe. "Please, God, please! I need you here with me, Eli! I love you! Just come back! Come back, please! Eli!"

Eli was the love of Clare's life. She felt so lost without him that she felt that living in a world of fiction was better than the world of reality. At least then, she wouldn't have felt this burning pain anymore. The tears would not stop falling and she felt her heart was shattering into a million pieces where the pieces were so small, that they couldn't be put back together. How could Clare have it where one moment, the man she loves is holding her hand, kissing her lips, and brushing the hair away from her eyes to suddenly losing him in an instant? To Clare's shock, she felt someone touch her right shoulder. Clare gasped and looked to her right in hope that whoever was touching her shoulder was who she wished so hard it would be.

"Clare?"

Clare saw that it was Alli. She got up from the ground and looked at Alli in such anger.

"Get out! This was me and Eli's place. Leave me alone!" shouted Clare at Alli.

"Clare, please. I'm your friend. I just had to follow you and see that you were ok," said Alli in concern.

"Well, do I look ok Alli?" shouted Clare. "The love of my life is gone and I'll never see him again. He's been gone for the past two months and I never even knew. You weren't there for me the past two months, were you? During those months, when were you ever my friend? Seriously." Alli stepped forward towards Clare.

"I know I haven't been there for you and I'm sorry for that," apologized Alli. "I was scared. There you were, thinking that Eli has been with you this whole time and I didn't know what to do to help you. I didn't want to get involved because I was scared. But I'm here for you now. So just talk to me. Please."

Clare shook her head, knowing that she could now trust Alli to confess her heart out to her.

"Alli, there were times where I always wondered how Eli could be real ever since we first met. I mean, he was such a mystery. He never liked to talk about himself or his past. I always felt like God sent him to me to help me with things that I couldn't deal with alone even if I tried," explained Clare. "With my parents divorce and even just opening up with my writing, he was there. He never left me. Whenever I needed him, he would just drive up to my house in his big vintage hearse and knock on my door. Every time. He needed me too like whenever he had trouble throwing things out or even just for someone to say to him 'I understand what you mean.' We were all we needed to be happy. There were times I even pushed him away from me because I was afraid the deeper our relationship went, that we would end up like my parents. But he convinced me that were different than other couples because… because..."

Clare had trouble finishing that sentence as she started breaking out more into tears, remembering what Eli said to her. She hated that now everytime she remembered Eli's voice that it would bring her to tears. Alli gave her friend a gentle hug to calm her down and Clare hugged her back.

"…Because we would make it," said Clare. Alli released her from the hug.

"Clare, I promise to be there for you whenever you need to talk. I won't avoid you anymore. You're my best friend. And you don't just have me. You have Adam and…your parents. Let's take you home," said Alli as she put her arm around Clare. Clare nodded.

"Thanks, Alli," said Clare. Clare and Alli walked out of the abandoned church-the place that now wasn't just known as her and Eli's spot but where it brought her back to reality. Alli and Clare were at her house. They came in and saw Mrs. Edwards wiping away her tears, Adam sitting on the couch with his palm resting his head, and Mr. Edwards pacing around the room only to have their eyes face towards Clare in such relief that their daughter was ok.

"Hi, everyone," said Clare.

"Adam, let's go and leave them alone," said Alli. Adam nodded and gave Clare a hug.

"We'll talk tomorrow," promised Adam. Clare nodded. Adam and Alli left the house. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards were about to give Clare a hug when Clare held her hands up to stop them.

"Two months ago at Eli's graduation ceremony, he proposed to me in front of the whole school and I said yes. When the ceremony was over…we took a drive to celebrate. Then…we weren't paying attention to the road because we were so happy to be engaged to each other that we ran a red light. I survived…and... and Eli didn't," sobbed Clare.

Clare's parents nodded their heads in understanding.

"We're so sorry, Clare-," said Mrs. Edwards, sadly.

"I'm not finished," interrupted Clare. "I just have one favor to ask you both. This will take me awhile to wrap my mind around that Eli... isn't around anymore. And I just want you both to know that I might not recover as quickly as you hope but to just please…please be patient with me. Could you just… could you just please?"

Mr. and Mrs. Edwards gave their daughter a tight hug as she was crying in their arms.

"If I seemed like such a monster to you these past months Clare, it was only to protect you. I didn't want you to live a lie. I wish that Eli was here too just so you could be happy. I promise I will do whatever it takes to make this as easy as possible for you, Clare-bear" promised Mr. Edwards.

"I promise too, Clare" promised Mrs. Edwards as well.

Clare threw her arms around both of her parents and then they all had a long talk in the living room about what was going through her mind the past two months and how her and Eli's relationship was since they first met to give her parents an understanding of how strong and meaningful their relationship was. Her parents were really listening to her, clinging on to her every word. Clare knew that from now on…things would be different. The only thing she was questioning was that as time would move on, would this be a good different or a bad different?


	9. Chapter 9

**So completely sorry about the wait! It takes a lot of energy for me to write a new chapter and I've been lazy lately. We have one more chapter before this story is complete. I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

* * *

Clare and Adam were at the park where they filmed the infamous Romeo and Juliet video project. Clare saw it as the place where she and Eli had their first kiss. They may have been friends when they had that kiss but that kiss was what they both wanted and their subtle way of saying "I want us to be more than friends." Clare and Adam sat on one of the picnic benches with Clare holding both of her knees together looking down.

"You knew the whole time, didn't you?" asked Clare, knowing the answer to her question. Adam looked at her confused. "You knew about what happened to Eli. You tried to tell me that time at the Dot with the book _EPICAC_. If I remember correctly, short stories weren't on the summer reading list."

"Yeah. You caught me," Adam laughed. "Eli gave me that book to read a long time ago. He told me how when he lost Julia, that book helped snap him back to the real world instead of clinging on to something that just couldn't be anymore,"

"I bet Julia's with Eli up there…taking care of him," said Clare in a melancholy tone. It was hard for her to accept that Eli was now in the same world as Julia and that there's a chance they could have met up there again.

"Maybe," said Adam. Then he gently touched his friend's shoulder. "Or he could be looking down, watching you all of the time."

"I hope he's not watching me _all_ the time," said Clare, hoping that Eli wasn't watching what Clare was doing for the past two months. Adam laughed.

"Look, it's hard for me too you know," said Adam. "Eli was one of my best friends. Do you have any idea how many times I've tried to explain to guys about me being transgendered? They either run away, beat me up, or they just don't get it. Eli immediately understood right when I told you guys. He still treated me like a guy. It was like I never told him anything."

"Yeah, Eli was always good like that. He never judged anybody. All three of us were quite the trio, weren't we?" asked Clare as Adam smiled, reminiscing on their memories from when they first met, the video project, the party-planning at the abandoned church, working in the drama club, hanging out at The Dot, and many more.

"Yep, the three misfits," laughed Adam. Then the laughter died down as tears started forming in Clare's eyes, trying really hard not to cry in front of Adam.

"Adam, what am I going to do with myself? I mean, Eli was like my other half. I'm always going to feel so guilty for me living and Eli not. It's like if I ever have fun, this voice in my head will just say 'how can you feel good without Eli?' Or how he would feel if while he was looking down on me from Heaven and he saw another guy who liked me? I would be too scared to like him back," sobbed Clare. "Adam, what do I do?"

Clare cried very hard. There were so many questions swimming in her head about what to do. She was confused if living her life to the absolute fullest was right or wrong if Eli wasn't living it with her. Adam turned around, facing Clare.

"Do what Eli did when he lost Julia," advised Adam as Clare immediately looked at him. "When you and Eli had your first kiss here, Eli was scared about liking that kiss wondering how Julia would feel about that. He had feelings for you but he was scared of them. Then he realized that he needed to move on with his life and be with people who _are_ in his world. It wouldn't be wrong. Eli may not be alive anymore but you are so you should be with people who are alive while still holding the memories you have of Eli."

"I'll never forget Eli," nodded Clare. "I know that for sure. He'll always have a special place in my heart."

"Also," said Adam. "Think of it this way-if Eli is really looking down on you, do you really want him to watch you be all gloom and doom? I think he would want to see you smile. Since Eli can't live his life, I think he would like to see that you're able to live your life to the fullest."

"You're right. It's just going to take me a little time to do that," said Clare. "Hey, things won't change between _us_, right?"

"Of course not," promised Adam. "I'll always be your friend, Clare. Try and stop me."

Clare laughed and looked at Adam, feeling so lucky to have a friend like him. Clare suddenly stopped herself for she remembered something that she had to do but hadn't brought herself to do. She got up from the picnic bench and planted her feet on the ground.

"I have to go and visit someone," declared Clare. "It's a visit that's long overdue."

"Want me to go with you?" asked Adam.

"No, this is something I have to do by myself," said Clare. "See you tomorrow?"

"Actually, I'll be in New York," said Adam. Clare looked at him surprised. "With all of the drama that's happened, I couldn't find a good time to tell you. I decided to go to NYU with Fiona after all. You and Eli taught me to never to let drama stand in the way between being with the one you love. I love Fiona so I'm going to college with her there."

Clare felt happy knowing that Adam has someone he loves but sad to know that Adam would be out of town. Knowing her and Adam's friendship, she knew she had nothing to worry about. Good friends never truly leave you.

"Wow. This seems so sudden. I can't believe it. I promise to keep in touch with you," assured Clare.

"So will I," said Adam. "But… I won't truly be leaving. Fiona's still going to keep her apartment here in Toronto where we'll go to every holiday and vacation…except for fall. She has a thing for fall fashion shows or whatever."

Clare laughed, remembering Fiona's fashion guru-ness.

"So this won't be goodbye. See you later, Adam," said Clare as hugged Adam.

"See you later, Clare," said Adam. Clare and Adam both released each other. Clare walked away from the park and she turned back and waved at Adam who waved back.

Clare walked to the cemetery in search of Eli's grave. Then she found it. It read "Eli Goldsworthy, 1994-2012." Then she read a quote on the bottom of the grave "Don't do what you want. Do what you don't want. Do what you're trained not to want. Do the things that scare you the most- Chuck Palahniuk." Clare laughed to herself, knowing why Eli loved that quote. Eli did things that he didn't want to do but knew he had to do like moving on from Julia to be with Clare. He also always did things that people would be afraid to do like driving a hearse, write disturbing horror stories with unexpected endings, take down your tormentor…and fall in love with a girl whose glasses you ran over with your car. Visiting Eli's grave made Clare see that this was real.

"Hey, Eli. It's me. I don't really know what to say. This all feels like a nightmare and I'm just hoping that someone will wake me up and that I'll meet you at the front door of my house with your giant hearse blocking the street," laughed Clare briefly with uncontrollable tears coming out of her eyes. "I want to say thank you. You came to me at a bad time in my life. My boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend, my other best friend was trying too hard to be part of a popular crowd, and my family was falling apart along with my beliefs. Then you came into the picture and it was like my problems didn't exist anymore. You gave me the courage to open myself up and not be afraid of the reactions from people and you never gave up on me. You were always there for me and I'll never forget that. You made me be more fun to be around with and showed me there's more to life than school and grades. I will always love you Elijah Goldsworthy, my other half."

Clare heard a sob from behind her. She turned around and saw it was Eli's parents with them both holding a boquet of flowers. They walked toward her and both gave her a hug.

"Cece and Bullfrog," said Clare. "How are you two holding up? I've been trying to find you two but you're never at your house."

"It hasn't been easy, Clare," said Cece. "Some days I feel like Eli is just out on a date with you or playing video games with Adam and that he'll come through the front door to join us for dinner."

"We haven't been home, Clare, is because that place just has too many memories of our son. Every room we walk into, every chair and couch we sit on we keep thinking that Eli is sitting right next to us. It's even too hard for me to set a table for two and not three," said Bullfrog, wiping away his tears. "We've been too afraid to go back home. We've been spending nights in our radio station."

"You're allowed to do that?" asked Clare, shocked.

"Hey! I'm DJ Bullfrog! That place is practically mine," said Bullfrog, proudly.

"But we've talked and decided that it's not healthy for us to be living in that station so we decided to buy a house in British Columbia. There are just too many memories in that place and everywhere else in town with Eli…my baby boy," cried Cece, as Clare held her hand. "But the good news is that our new house is right next to the college that you're going to."

"That's right! Would it be ok if I visit you two every once in a while?" asked Clare nervously.

"How about more than once in a while? Don't ever hesitate to come and visit us!" said Bullfrog happily.

"He's right, Clare. You brightened my baby boy's life. After what happened with Julia, you taught him how to smile again," said Cece.

"Eli loved both of you," said Clare. "I would always get jealous of seeing Eli with you guys together because you all looked so happy and carefree with each other. As I've told you guys before, my family is pretty much broken."

"There's something that I want to give you," said Cece.

Cece reached into her purse and handed Clare a ring. Not just any ring but Eli's mood ring that was always black in the center that he wore on his thumb. Clare put it on her thumb.

"Perfect fit," Clare smiled. "Are you sure you want me to have this?"

"Yes," decided Cece. "This is our way of telling you that we think of you as a member of our family."

"Thank you so much," said Clare. "I loved your son and I would have loved to have been his wife. He'll always be a part of me just like I know he'll always be a part of you."

Clare gave Cece and Bullfrog one last hug. She told them she would leave to give them a moment with Eli. Before she left, she turned her head to Eli's headstone.

"I'll see you around."

Clare could imagine Eli saying back at her "Guess you will."

* * *

**That last line bring back any memories? :) All reviews are appreciated. Thank you.**


	10. Epilogue & Author's Note

When summer was over, Clare was still debating whether to spend her senior year at Degrassi or at a different school for fear that she would be haunted by the memories her and Eli had there since they were both all over the place at Degrassi. She was worried that just walking through the door of her English class would cause her to have a meltdown. Then she made her decision to start and finish her senior year at Degrassi since she started her high school career there and planned on finishing it.

When the school year started, Clare was able to see images in her head of the times her and Eli had at Degrassi-the library where they had their first kiss, backstage where Eli waited for her as she gave her speech at the theater awards, any desk, the lockers where Eli first put his arm around her, the school gym where they went to prom, and many, many more memories. Clare was glad to still feel these memories. At least then, she knew that Eli and the times she had with him were real. There were times where Clare did have trouble adjusting to certain things like when she was forced to have an English partner in class, she would automatically refuse knowing that any partner she would get would never come close to her first one. Even times where certain guys would hit on her or try to touch her at school, she expected Eli to just storm in and tell them to back off. Clare couldn't believe she actually missed that as that used to be Clare's least favorite quality of Eli's.

Clare's senior year at Degrassi might not have been smooth sailing but it wasn't a shipwreck. She had Alli and Adam there to always help her pick up the pieces. It's always good to be thankful for the people that come into your life because you never know how important they are until they disappear. Adam spent the summer in New York with Fiona and then came back to Degrassi to start his senior year. After the drama that went on in the summer, Alli learned a very valuable lesson- that having a clique of friends isn't a necessity. Sometimes in life, all you need is one really good friend to be there for you and that's exactly what Alli continued doing for Clare. She always made sure that Clare never felt alone.

When it came time for Clare to pick a car to drive around in when she went to college, her parents expected her to get an ordinary car like a Hybrid or an SUV. Clare's decision left both of her parents in utter shock- a vintage hearse. Not just any vintage hearse. Morty. Ever since the accident, Morty still looked totaled with the windows shattered, the tired blown up, and the interior smashed up. Eli's parents didn't have the courage to send the car to a junkyard to have it mangled and disappeared forever. That car was like Eli's baby. Clare couldn't bear to see the car destroyed either so she decided that if anyone was going to take care of that car, it would be her. She needed the money to have the car fixed so she got a waitressing job at The Dot. By the time it was near to her graduation, she had the money and Morty looked pretty glossy and new. Clare even managed to have a new engine built in Morty to prevent him from breaking down once a week like before. It took Clare's parents a long time got used to the idea of their daughter driving a car that's used to carry corpses. A…very, very long time.

Clare became valedictorian of her senior class. The basis of her graduation speech was all about how this would be "the first day of the rest of the lives of every graduate in the room" and to live life to the fullest. Her speech was received with thunderous applause-mostly heard from the Goldsworthys who were in the audience sitting next to the Edwards family who were in tears by the end of the graduation ceremony. Clare could swear that at the end of her speech, she could feel the presence of a certain someone watching over her and listening to her every word with a proud smile on his face. At the end of the ceremony when the graduation graduates received their diplomas, Alli surprised Clare when she told her that she, too, got accepted into British Columbia University. Clare responded with huge open arms at the news that her best friend would join her in college and wouldn't have to go through the initially scary college experience alone. Adam moved to New York with Fiona and still writes to Clare almost every few weeks.

Clare's college life was pretty satisfying. She had her roommate, Alli, with her every step of the way…except for when she went partying. Hey, she's still Alli. Clare would occupy herself with plenty of writing. Having a giant vintage hearse as her mode of transportation of course received many of the college students' stares and sneers. No hard feelings though since Clare learned not to care so much about what people think. She would write poems, short stories, journal entries, or even just jogging down any feelings or emotions that came to her mind.

Clare still thought of Eli every day. There were times at night where Clare would wake up in the middle of the night with single tear stains down her face. Whenever that happened, she would write her dreams down and even write letters to Eli. Clare knew that it was apparent that Eli would never be able to read these letters but it was more of a way for her to communicate with Eli spiritually just to put her mind at ease. Simple every day objects would make Clare remember him- when she looked at the mood ring on her finger, a sheet of paper, Dead Hand playing on the radio, Chuck Palahniuk, or even a thunderstorm. She felt secure to know that these objects would bring her back to Eli because then she wouldn't be worried about forgetting Eli whenever she got caught up in any college craziness.

If Eli's death taught Clare anything, it was that you are never truly alone. You may lose someone very important in your life but that doesn't mean you should shut people out that are still alive in your life. Depending on one person to be your only hope to a happy life isn't healthy. It's important to be with people who still remain in your life that make you just as happy as the person you lost and to let new people in. In life, every ending is just a new beginning.

* * *

I finally put my pen down and sighed in relief that I finished my story for the "Express Yourself- a College Freshman's Experience" assignment. Professor Bates thought the best way to start his English class would be to express a life-changing event told using real storywriting techniques. If this story gets an A by my professor, then maybe he'll submit it in the university's newspaper like he mentioned. This story is the longest and most full length piece of writing that I've ever created. Just as I was about to get up from sitting on the steps outside the college entrance, I heard someone behind me.

"Hey, scribe. Writing another story?"

I thought to myself _"Scribe? He has some nerve calling me that."_ I turned around to see a tall guy with light brown hair, plaid shirt over a white t-shirt, and jeans.

"Yes actually, I am. Writing relaxes me and puts me in a place where smug people like you don't exist," said I, very annoyed and impatient.

"Sorry," said the guy as he put his hands up in mock surrender. "It's just that writing is the only thing I see you do. It's cool though. It beats what a lot of the other girls I see here do like partying and get hung over."

So he's seen me around, huh?

"Then you would hate my roommate," said I with a small smile. The boy laughed.

"I'm Leo," he said as he held out his hand for me to shake.

"Clare," said I as I shook his hand. As our hands touched, Leo looked deep into my eyes, forgetting that his hand was still holding mine. Then I looked at my hand which caused him to come back to his senses and let go of my hand. Then we both looked at each other awkwardly and he turned his head away. Then Leo turned back quietly and continued to look over my shoulder as I was skimming through my story before I submit it.

"That wouldn't happen to be the story Professor Bates assigned us to write, is it?" asked Leo.

"Just finished," nodded I. "I'm just looking at it quickly before I submit it." Leo looked at me confused, questioning why I care so much about this one story.

"Maybe you shouldn't try so hard to make your story a masterpiece," said Leo. I looked at him in confusion. "If Bates likes it, he might submit it to the paper and these stories are supposed to be personal."

"I know," I admitted honestly. "A very special person in my life taught me to not be afraid to be personal."

Leo nodded in understandment and continued to look over my shoulder, annoyingly, attempting to take a peek at my story.

"Any chance I could get a little preview of this award-winning masterpiece?" asked Leo, curiously.

Wow. This guy really doesn't give up. It's actually pretty entertaining.

"Of course you can…" said I as he reached over to grab it from my hand but then I hastily move it away. "…when it ends up in the paper. Until then, be patient."

Leo sighed heavily in defeat as I laughed. Then I looked away and down at my paper.

"Well, I'll let you get back to it. Nice to meet you, Clare," said Leo, smiling.

"Yeah, bye," said I, still not looking directly at him. For some reason, it was hard for me to look at him without feeling these fluttering butterflies in my stomach. But they couldn't possibly be identical to the ones I felt when I first met Eli...could they? Then Leo turned around while my back was still turned.

"Hey. This might sound a little forward since we just met but…" said Leo, nervously. "has anyone ever told you that you have pretty eyes?"

Suddenly, my eyes opened wide and I gasped as many images were floating through my head.

"_I think they're dead"_

_Eli handed Clare her broken glasses and Clare took them._

"_It's ok. I don't need them anymore. I got…laser surgery," said I. Then Eli looked deep into my eyes while I stared at him wondering what he was thinking._

"_You have pretty eyes," said Eli, looking very sure of his opinion. Clare blushed and said "Thanks. I'll umm…see you around?"_

"_Guess you will," said Eli as he went back into his hearse and Clare watched him as he drove away and smiled._

"_Deal?"_

_Clare and Eli are driving in the car on the way to celebrating their engagement. _

"_Well…It's too hard for me to say no to you as you look at me with those beautiful eyes," says Eli._

Then I smiled and turned around to Leo in astonishment.

"Yeah," I said with my eyes getting teary. "I've heard that before."

THE END

**Note From the Author**

* * *

**Well, my story has come to an end. I hope all of you readers liked it. Thank you so much for reading my story. It really means a lot to me because if it wasn't for your responses and for you favoriting or story alerting "Only Hope", then I wouldn't have continued and I'm glad I did. I didn't expect to get many reviews or that anyone would be interested but I'm glad that I was wrong. Based on many reviews, many readers apparently got teary-eyed while reading this. I'll take that as a compliment that my writing skills were able to cause that kind of reaction. In case you're wondering why I added the twist and killed off Eli was because by having Eli's death be told in an unexpected and surprised fashion is how death is in real life. We aren't supposed to see it coming. I also wanted you to feel all of the emotions that Clare was feeling in the story when she found out Eli died-confusion, heartbroken sorrow, and shock. I also wanted to show the pain Clare would feel if she ever did lose Eli because of the strong love her and Eli shared and still continue to share on the show. It's possible I might write a sequel but only if people want me to continue. If not, then I'm not going to waste my time and write the story if people think I should just stop here. If I write a sequel, it would be about Clare's life at college with Eli still being heavily involved in the plot of course. Here's a hint, something else happened at the hospital right after the doctors announced Eli deceased after the car accident. I have another story idea that's totally different from this story but I'm going to write it after the season 10 finale so I know more about Eli and his secrets to write the story. All reviews are appreciated and again, thank you all so much for your feedback and for reading "Only Hope."**


End file.
